Reach
by KingdomLei
Summary: Coalition war, between the scenes. Mouten's running after an assassin on the battlefield, and Ouhon ponders the importance of reach. Not that he's worrying. Heirs of the Ou family do not worry. [Friendship Ouhon/Mouten] Spoilers for current scanlations.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Spoilers for released scanlations.**

This story takes place during the coalition war. You could say it is an attempt at digging Ouhon's character.

* * *

At a prudent distance from Karin's main army, Ouhon observed the Chu soldiers. He had a bad feeling about this. So, far, everything about Karin's warfare had been traps and deception. There were not so many battlefields that had made him feel that uneasy.

"The Gaku ka are there as well, sir."

Ouhon looked over his shoulder and saw about 700 men gathering at the left of his position, Mouten in the lead.

"Worried for your father?" He muttered.

_Good_, he added to himself. Mouten was at the top of his game when he was getting emotional. Under other circumstances, Ouhon may have felt annoyed at the interference, but this wasn't that easy a battlefield. Even the presence of that idiot Shin would have been a slight relief.

The enemy moved, and Ouhon turned his attention back to them. A couple of horsemen were leaving the Karin army, a spearman in their lead.

_Only ten men?_

That was hardly an escort at all. With so little manpower, their target was a single man, most likely...

Ouhon saw Mouten break off from his men, riding to his father's battlefield as fast as his horses' legs could carry him. So, he had come to the same conclusion. In that case, Ouhon would leave that problem to him. Anyway, Mouten was well known among his father's main army, he would have no trouble getting support should he need it. Someone had to stay here and keep an eye on that woman, who was without doubt planning her next move.

For some reason, though, watching Mouten ride off alone made his fingers itch.

_Reach_, he thought.

The assassin Karin had sent was a spearman. His reach was longer than Mouten's sword. Ouhon did not make light of Mouten's swordsmanship, but reach was an issue when fighting against long weapons. Naturally, he made up for it with his agility and speed. A shorter weapon was faster, and light armor also played a role - compared to most soldiers of his rank, Mouten wore very little protection, stopping at light chainmail to avoid any impeding of his movement. This gave him an advantage over heavy cavalry. The man sent by Karin, however, wasn't heavily armored either, which suggested he must be also confident in his own speed and skill. Of course, Karin wouldn't send some second rate warrior to take Moubu's head. He must be one of the best even among her elite personal guard.

Ouhon stared at the melee between the Qin and Chu armies in the distance, where Mouten had already disappeared. He gripped his spear tighter.

_Did I make an error of judgment?_

"Sir?" lieutenant Bayou asked, noticing his irritation.

"Keep close watch on Karin's movements and report anything to me," Ouhon told him. "I need to keep an eye on what is happening over there."

_I should have been the one going. It would have been a better match. He's too much of a hot head to have realized, but I should have been the one to go. I had the better chances._

In front of him, the melee was continuing without major disturbance, so the duel between Moubu and Kanmei was probably still going on. It would be good if Kanmei could be defeated before the danger reached Moubu. If Karin's assassin succeeded, the consequence would be an overwhelming defeat for the Qin forces on this battlefield, and that would soon spread to the others once the huge Chu army no longer had an opponent. How long would it take for a single man to make his way through the melee and reach the two commanders? Ten minutes perhaps?

They must already be there.

_Don't screw this up, Mouten._

Suddenly there was a huge cheer, and it was definitely coming from the Qin side.

"Sir! Kanmei must have fallen!" Bayou commented.

"It would seem so," Ouhon replied. "What about Karin?"

"No move yet."

"She will be making a decision soon. Keep reporting me any movement."

Ouhon was still staring at Moubu's battlefield. He was relieved on some level, but parts of his concerns hadn't disappeared yet. He wished there was something for him to do beyond just waiting for that irritating enemy to move. His horse snarled, feeling his restlessness.

There was a surge of movement in the melee, as the Qin forces pushed forward into the Chu lines. Of course Moubu wouldn't let go of this chance, he was probably planning on destroying them here and now. How would Karin answer? Would she try to lead and reorganize the Kanmei army herself?

"They are moving, sir."

Ouhon turned towards Karin's army. No, they were moving away. Most likely she would call back her own forces before the inevitable defeat of the Kanmei army, to avoid any chance of getting hit from the flank. There was still the off chance of a further trick, though, so he would keep following her until he had made sure of her next move.

"We're going too," he told his lieutenant.

Then his glance caught something among the dust of the battlefield. It was red cloth, he realized. Ten horsemen were riding away from the battle, back to the Qin lines, and one of them was carrying in his arms a motionless body. The red sleeves of his shirt were flapping in the wind.

Ouhon gritted his teeth. Sometimes, he so hated being right.

"Sir?"

"Nothing. We're going."

Too late to do anything about that now. Too bloody late.

Ouhon turned his horse around in Karin's direction and pushed it into gallop, his men following him. He found himself suddenly hoping Karin wasn't going to retreat yet. He felt like killing more southern monkeys before going home.

"Kokukin," he called, "go tell the Gaku Ka unit to come along with us."

"The Gaku ka, sir? Should they not wait for their commander?"

The words came out as sharp as an arrow.

"Their commander isn't coming back."


	2. Chapter 2

Ouhon did not fidget. Nervousness was a form of weakness, and like every weakness, must remain hidden, so he had learned. So, of course, he did _not_ fidget.

A young lieutenant came out of Mouten's tent. He caught sight of Ouhon, and walked to him.

"Our young master has not regained consciousness yet, sir," he informed him.

"I see."

It was hardly good news, yet at least it was confirmation that Mouten had not died yet. Ouhon glared at the tent behind the Gaku Ka lieutenant, as if hoping that Mouten would feel some of his anger, and wake up already.

"There is something I wanted to ask him," he said, irritated at the hindrance.

"I will make sure to send word to you when he has recovered," the lieutenant offered graciously.

Ouhon's glare went from the tent to the Gaku Ka soldier, eager to make sure none of this was being mistaken as some sort of personal concern on his part. Mouten's soldier had an expression of neutral cordiality that was too perfectto be true. Ouhon wondered whether he was as subtle as his master.

"What are the odds of that happening?" he asked, his tone deliberately harsh.

The lieutenant did not react to his provocation, his demeanor the very expression of civility.

"The doctors are unsure, sir. Luckily, none of his internal organs were damaged, but he has lost a lot of blood and a fever has set in. If his body can repel the fever, he will live. But he may not have enough strength left."

The lieutenant looked back at the tent, fatigue and worry briefly visible in his eyes.

"We will probably know in a night or two."

There was nothing more to learn here, and Ouhon was about to take his leave, when a group of men appeared at the end of the path leading to Mouten's tent. Ouhon and the Gaku Ka lieutenant turned towards them. It was Moubu, with a few of his men. Ouhon remained where he was as the lieutenant rushed to the general. He should have taken his leave at that point, but something compelled him to stay. He wanted to see - what, exactly? He didn't know himself. Maybe he was just curious. He knew Mouten's relationship with his father was strained, and while the son had unfaillible loyalty to his father, the later mostly ignored his children.

Perhaps Ouhon wanted to see because he wondered what his own father would have to say at his deathbed.

Moubu talked briefly with the lieutenant and walked up to his son's tent. Ouhon, driven by his curiosity, followed him and his subordinates inside. No one paid any attention to him.

Inside, Mouten was lying, his breath ragged. Another Gaku Ka soldier was at his bedside, keeping his forehead cool with wet cloth. For a while, there was only silence. Moubu was standing with all his formidable height, dominating the room. He was staring at his unconscious son without saying a word, something slightly absent in his gaze, as if lost in thought. Ouhon was standing at the back, merely observing the scene. He couldn't feel anything but emptiness. Not even irritation.

Whether Mouten would recover from such a wound, only the gods knew. In any case, Ouhon had no reason to be here. He really had to leave.

But then, Moubu shrugged, as if he had finally come to a conclusion in his silent meditation, and pronounced one frustrated word for his dying son:

"Fool."

The killing intent that surged through Ouhon was so intense that he was himself taken by surprise, and his hand was already searching for his spear when he managed to suppress it. Unfortunately, Moubu had the best fighting instincts in all of Qin's army. The hostile intent had not gone unnoticed. He was already turning around to eye the uninvited guest.

"You have something to say?" He growled.

That man had a terrible temper, and he was the class of generals who could do or undo a career. Ouhon swore inwardly at his own lack of control. But there was no helping it. Trying to avoid the confrontation would not help, not now that he had already given his feelings away. Why had he even felt such brutal rage over something so small? Moubu was an idiot, much less clever than his own son, but that was hardly news.

He fought to keep his voice even as he explained himself.

"Sir, on the day Mouten was injured, I followed Karin with my own men when she left our battlefield for yours, as he did. I was there when she sent the assassin. The entire battlefield at that point was hinged on your duel, the potential disturbance of you getting hit from behind was too great to allow, and Karin was obviously confident that she could achieve that. I believe Mouten's decision to step in was correct."

Silence followed that statement. It was not every day you could see a mere 2000-man commander calmly explaining to a general that he was wrong, especially not a general like Moubu, who was known to break the skull of people who got on his nerves.

"I would not have lost," Moubu replied, "with or without two arrogant brats showing up on my battlefield."

There was a finality to his tone, like he was explaining the order of the universe, rather than talking of one fragile possibility among many others. That was the point where Ouhon was supposed to apologize for underestimating the strength of the great Moubu. He knew he should. It was definitely the better career move.

"You do not know that with certainty."

What on earth was wrong with him? Was he turning into a better dressed version of Shin? He might as well have called his general a fool straight away. Which Moubu was - you had to be as kind as Mouten to call that "straightforwardness", really. To hear such an unrefined person dismiss Mouten's tactical judgement was downright infuriating. But you had to be even more of an idiot to speak that sort of opinion out loud in front of a superior officer. Moubu's fist clenched.

"Your name?"

"Ouhon of the Gyoku Hou unit, affiliated with the Tou army, sir," he replied evenly.

Moubu stared him down for an instant, and Ouhon braced himself for what would come. But Moubu just sighed, and the anger vanished from his face as quickly as it had come.

"I see."

He walked to Ouhon, briefly rested his hand on his shoulder, then left the tent without another word. Ouhon, dumbstruck, watched him disappear, his subordinates following him.


	3. Chapter 3

Mouten was so pale that Ouhon would readily have believed him dead, had it not been for his opened eyes. It would be a while yet before he could regain his strength. Then again, it was a miracle he was even still breathing.

"You're here," Mouten said.

Ouhon raised a brow. The man was certainly slower than usual, too.

"Apparently."

Mouten had a half-smile and sighed.

"I can't believe even _you_ found some time to visit. Yet my impossible father has apparently no slot for his agonizing son in his busy schedule."

Ouhon sat down beside Mouten's bed, arms crossed. Although he pretended to joke about this, Ouhon knew the pain of being neglected by his father was real, just as real as the physical pain from his wounds - he knew, because in this at least they were alike. Not that he'd ever voice it the way Mouten did, even at death's doors. He wasn't like that.

Well. Ouhon wasn't one for sentimental dwellings over lack of paternal affection, but there should be no harm in telling him the truth.

"He did come, a few days ago. You were unconscious. I think he was slightly worried."

Mouten had a derisive smile.

"Worried? Moubu? Have you met him?"

"He certainly acted strange."

"Strange?"

"He didn't kill me." Ouhon paused, then added thoughtfully: "In fact, he didn't even _hit_ me."

Mouten stared back at him, trying to make sense of what his fellow commander had just said.

"Ouhon," he finally said, "are you alright?"

Once more, Ouhon raised an eyebrow at him.

"Do you think you're in any position to worry about _my_ health?"

Mouten stared at him, frowning. There was definitely something off, but he couldn't put his finger on it, and thinking about it was too exhausting.

"Whatever. Rikusen said there was something you wanted to ask me. What is it?"

Ouhon crossed his arms slightly tighter. His gaze felt more intense, like there was something he was angry about.

"Did you lose because of your reach?" he finally asked.

The question startled Mouten so that he fell silent for a second. Not understanding what was going on in his friend's head, he tried to avoid the answer.

"I didn't lose. We won and I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"Barely."

"Why do you want to know that?"

Ouhon shrugged.

"I'm bored. The Chu haven't moved in days. There isn't anyone around that I'm allowed to kill."

His lips were a tight line, his jaw was set, like he was ready to leap for a prey who refused to show up.

"Something is definitely wrong with you," Mouten said, looking at him quizzically.

"But I'm right, aren't I? It was your reach."

What was he trying to say? Mouten wondered. Was this an I-told-you-so sort of conversation? Reach was a major difference in how the both of them approached combat - one going for the traditional approach of heavy cavalry with long weapon, and the other betting on the speed of his shorter sword. However, Ouhon had never hinted that he judged Mouten's swordsmanship to be less efficient than his spear technique on the battlefield. Both ways were valid, although of course one may have the advantage over the other in specific situations.

_Wait..._

Mouten replayed his short duel against the Chu spearman in his head. Was this what Ouhon was thinking, that he would have been the more suited opponent? You could argue that it was the case, but... Why would that bother Ouhon? Was that how he had been killing time while he was "bored", by wondering what would have happened if he'd gone in his stead, all while Mouten was wavering between life and death?

And he'd come here to find out whether his guess was true - twice, actually. This wasn't just idle analysis of battle strategy. You might almost think that he'd been feeling _guilty_. Mouten smiled.

"You're an idiot."

Ouhon sent him an offended stare, and Mouten felt slightly relieved. This was more like him.

"Sorry, what?"

"Don't overthink it. I lost because I wasn't strong enough. That's all there is to it."

"You keep talking but you're not answering my question," Ouhon noted. "Why is that?"

"Fine. Since you want to know, I lost control of my horse when he pushed me away. He sent me right into Kanmei's legs, who cut me down."

Ouhon pondered his answer.

"You _lost control of your horse_?"

"Yes."

"You?"

Mouten was probably the best horseman in all of Qin's center army. Or so he claimed.

"Me. If you tell anyone, I'll have to kill you."

"If you're planning to challenge me in your present state, I strongly advise you reconsider."

There was the hint of a smug smile on Ouhon's face. The same smile was reflected on Mouten. He closed his eyes, letting the exhaustion win over him. Ouhon stayed there in silence, no longer feeling the need to speak. He waited while his companion was slowly drifting into sleep. He could feel the nagging irritation leaving him, replaced by a mix of relief and fatigue.

For the first time in days, it felt nearly peaceful.


End file.
